


The Extraordinary Second Life of Bree Tanner

by helloimdeadinside



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, not gonna tag anymore cause spoilers but there will be more pairings and characters so umm yeah
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-02 17:35:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16791568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloimdeadinside/pseuds/helloimdeadinside
Summary: Bree is allowed to live on the one condition no one is willing to meet.





	1. Bree

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is sort of a rewrite of went down at the end of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Bree Tanner wished she could cry. Her sobs sounded strange without tears. She clutched her knees to her chest, digging her nails into her impenetrable skin. The vampire, a man with golden hair and golden eyes, stared down at her with . . . it was either empathy or pity. Bree couldn’t decide. She hoped it was pity, though. Maybe if he pitied her, he’d make her death quick.

“I don’t want to fight,” She choked out, after a moment of him staring. He was waiting for her to attack, perhaps.

“Neither do I,” The man said. His voice was calm and deep. It was comforting to hear. “We were only defending ourselves.”

She looked up at him, rubbing at her face even though there was nothing to wipe away. _Old habits die hard_ , she thought. The vampire looked so earnest it was difficult for her to comprehend how she could have ever believed Riley and his lies. Guilt became the only feeling she could distinguish from her grief and fear. Was this coven even planning on attacking them in Seattle?

“We didn’t know. Riley lied to me. To all of us,” Bree said. “We didn’t know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He didn’t respond for a moment, mulling over what she said. It was then Bree realized how deafeningly quiet it had become. The battle was over. She had no doubts who the winner was. A yellow eyed female hurried over to him, as if she needed any confirmation.

“Carlisle?” She asked, glancing down at Bree. Her voice was melodic - confused, but melodic.

“She doesn’t want to fight,” He said, his eyes never leaving Bree. The woman touched his arm - he was still tense, ready to spring. Despite his empathy, his honesty, he still was distrusting. Bree thought about the battle she had walked into. She couldn’t blame him. The woman stared down at her, her eyes calculating. It wasn’t a cold look, just a bit disconcerting.

“She’s so frightened,” The woman said, finally. “Carlisle, couldn’t we -” She cut herself off when Carlisle looked at her, sudden and disbelieving.

“Esme . . . “ He trailed off as he looked at her determined, beautiful face.

“Look at her Carlisle,” Esme said.

He looked back down at Bree, hard. He was assessing her. Whatever he was searching for, he must have found, because he straightened up and relaxed. His face remained wary, however. Esme smiled, soft yet victorious.

“We don’t want to harm you,” Esme said. Her voice was gentle, and she gave Bree the kind of look that only a loving mother could muster. Bree was completely unfamiliar with it. “We didn’t want to fight any of you.”

“I’m sorry,” Bree said again. Her voice was a whisper. She could hardly make sense of anything. Her mind was a mess. Diego was dead. It devastated her, occupied most of her attention. The fight that was thrust upon her, but never truly belonged to her, was over. Her coven had lost. Her enemies had won. But her coven would have loved to watch her die in the fight. Her enemies stood there, comforting her. They had no reason to be kind to her, the people she called her own had attacked them on their own territory. Yet, they were kind to her. She felt safer with them in these past two minutes than she had in the past two months. She felt safer with strangers than she ever had with Raoul with Kristie. Guilt ate away at her, but she couldn’t help the relief she felt at their death.

“Do you surrender?” Carlisle asked. “If you promise not to hurt us, or any of our allies, we won’t hurt you.”

Bree couldn’t help but instantly believe him.

“I don’t want to hurt anybody,” She said. She still couldn’t manage anything else but a whisper. “Of course I surrender.”

His smile was encouraging. He held out his hand for her, and slowly, she took it. She didn’t want to make any quick movements and risk having them take it as a threat.

“Let our family regroup. They’ll have questions. Please, answer us honestly. You have nothing to fear,” He said. Bree nodded. She had a nagging worry that she was too gullible. Believing easily was what got her in this mess in the first place, and here she was, doing that once more. But Carlisle and Esme seemed so genuine, it was difficult to distrust.

“Dad?” A male voice called. Another blonde, yellow eyed vampire joined them. All the safety and trust Bree felt vanished instantaneously. He was taller than Carlisle, leaner too. He covered head to toe in scars, more scars than Bree had ever seen on one person. Some, the ones on his arms, were fresh. Most, many of which were on his neck and jaw, were not. This was not his first battle, not by a long shot. Judging by the fact that he was still standing here, this was not his first win, either. Bree took a step back, terrified. Why had he been in battles before? Had Carlisle lied?

The scarred one coiled up, preparing to spring on her. Bree hoped she’d be able to outrun him, because it was clear she’d never win the fight.

“Jasper!” Carlisle warned. Jasper froze and gave Carlisle a wide eyed look.

“What’s going on?” He asked. He had a distinctly southern accent.

“She doesn’t want to fight. She didn’t fight, at all. When I first saw her, she had just appeared. She watched, for a minute, before taking off. I ran after her, caught her, and she told me that _she didn’t want to hurt anyon_ e,” Carlisle put emphasis on the last bit, as if it held a lot of weight for them. After what they had just been through, Bree understood. “She told us that they had all been lied to. She apologized. She surrendered. We can’t ignore that.”

Jasper’s eyebrows furrowed as his yellow eyes clouded over slightly. Suddenly, Bree felt frustration, with no explanation as to why.

“Dad, I -” He hesitated, glancing back and forth between the three vampires before him. _Dad_? “We can’t be associated with her when the Volturi come. I’m sorry, but it’s impossible. Do you understand how much danger we’ll be in?”

“Jasper, she’s a child!” Esme protested. “We can’t just murder her in cold blood!”

Bree found it funny, a little, that Esme spoke like they were people. Murder didn’t exist to them. Her time with the coven had made that clear.

“Mom, it’s our family on the line! If they think we broke this rule -”

“I won’t stand for it!” Esme interrupted. Incomprehensibly, she moved in between Bree and her son, the vampire who wanted to kill her. As she did so, she turned her back to Bree. Carlisle shot Bree an anxious look. She could see how deeply he cared for this woman. Bree wondered if she would have looked like that at someone behind Diego’s back. Maybe she would have, in time. For Carlisle’s benefit, she tried to look as docile as she felt.

“We have to take the chance, Jazz,” He said slowly. Jasper looked at him in disbelief, as if he expected Carlisle to take his side.

“What if they think we created the newborns?” He asked.

“Why would we do that?” Esme asked.

“Protection? What if they think we were planning on going to war with them? They’re paranoid, you both know that!” Jasper was growing increasingly more anxious, it was clear. Bree just couldn’t understand her own sudden spasms of panic. It’s not as though she could truly appreciate the weight of the words he spoke. She had no idea what he was talking about.

“But we didn’t create the newborns. Aro will know,” Carlisle said, placing a hand on Jasper’s shoulder tentatively. “We follow the Volturi’s rules, but we aren’t them. We don’t take lives lightly.”

Bree could only imagine how difficult the battle had been for this coven, if Carlisle spoke the truth. They had killed many times today. Purely out of protection, but still. How long would this weigh on them?

“It’s too dangerous!” Jasper snapped.

“We will not kill this child!” Carlisle’s tone had shifted to authoritative. It was clear who was in charge in their dynamic. Jasper glowered at him. Bree tensed. Would he really kill this nice man and woman, who clearly cared for others so much? Then, Jasper relaxed with a sigh, and Bree knew it would be okay.

“I don’t like this one bit,” He said, his voice calmer. “At the very least, let me take care of her. You two can’t handle a newborn like her.”

“Of course,” Esme said. “But be kind, Jasper. She’s only a kid.”

Jasper rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of him. For a moment, he looked like a petulant teenager and not a war machine.

“Let’s go. Alice said we don’t have long before the Volturi arrive,” He said after a moment. Carlisle nodded, taking Esme’s hand into his. They headed past Jasper, into the open field. Jasper turned to Bree.

“Walk in front of me,” He ordered. Bree did as he said. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him. She only managed to take a few steps before another order came.

“Close your eyes. You look, you lose, got it?” He asked. With gritted teeth she screwed her eyes shut. She felt twice as helpless as she had before. She heard him come up beside her.

“Follow the sound of my voice, okay?” Bree considered the fact that in all actuality, she should be glad he was protecting a secret. That would be pointless if he was just going to kill her. They started to move, and at the very least, he was kind enough to not guide her into a tree.

The sound changed when they were in the clearing. The wind felt different too. Her eyelids glowed as her skin began to sparkle in the sunlight. The smell of her burning coven was stronger too. She could hear the crackle of the flame, felt the heat against her skin. Being so close made her nerves spike, but he made no move to kill her. Instead, he told her to sit. She did so instantly. She could feel his glare on her, agitating her. She wasn’t angry at these vampires, she knew they were just protecting themselves. She had no clue why these feelings of fury were stirring up within her.

The anger couldn’t truly affect her though. Her sadness filled her up, like a bottle about to overflow. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about Diego. Did Riley torture him? He must have. Those secrets, the one Riley used to make her trust him, were taken by force. Diego would have never given them up willingly. She had noticed a change in Riley, that night. Killing Diego was that change. It hardened him, somehow. Riley always valued Diego, more than the rest of them. He had even liked him, though Bree couldn’t blame him. Liking Diego came naturally to just about anyone who met him. Then, their creator killed him. Did Riley help? She was sure he did.

Bree thought about how much it would have taken to betray Diego. The amount of pain she’d have to go through. Too much. She’d have to be put through too much of anything to give up on Diego. Bree knew the same was true for him. Though they had been nothing more than friends, he was one of the only things that made these past few months bearable. Bree knew though, deep down, that they were always meant to grow into something more. Foolishly, she assumed they’d have all of eternity to get there.

She wanted the images of Diego’s torture out of her head. The screams of agony to disappear. Her eyelids fluttered. Maybe a peak at the clearing would dispel everything, she could focus on that instead. But Jasper snarled, and her eyes were screwed shut again. She had seen nothing but peaks of sunlight and heavy smoke.

Something came into the field, screaming. Loud, unnatural howling followed. Bree tried to imagine a face contorting to make such a noise, but couldn’t. It was inhuman. So were their heartbeats. All of them, heavy and thumping, were in perfect unison. She wondered, for a moment, if other inhuman things existed besides vampires. It seemed impossible, but why would it be?

The names Jacob, Sam, and Leah were called. The howling continued. Riley had lied about their numbers too, it seemed. The howling slowly tapered off until it make just one weak human cry. Bree clenched her fist. Diego’s pained face was in her mind. This cry was his cry.

A pair of hands cupped her head, covering both her ears. She struggled for a moment, her eyes snapped open. Jasper knelt in front of her, face hard.

“Stop!” He hissed. Bree relaxed. So there were things she couldn’t hear either. That was fine. Anything was fine as long as it meant she could keep her life.

“A little warning next time,” She couldn’t help but mutter. Jasper’s glare had her clenching her eyes once more. This time, Fred’s face appeared behind her eyelids. He made a promise to her; to wait for one day. She wondered if he would keep it. She wanted to tell him everything she had learned about the yellow eyes. There was so much neither of them knew. A whole world for them to explore. She wouldn’t mind exploring it with a friend, especially if that friend was someone who could make her essentially invisible. But then she remembered Diego, and suddenly any sort of future seemed repulsive.

She strained to hear, just to get her mind off of Diego once more. She could hardly hear a thing, but the muffled sounds of howls. Then there was a growling, and then it stopped all together. There were a few low voices. She recognized Carlisle’s and Esme’s, but the others were completely foreign. Bree tried desperately to smell something, the blindness and muffled noises becoming too much for her. All she could smell was the sweet smoke that was her coven burning. It blocked out all else.

“Five minutes!” A girl’s voice rang out. How loudly was she talking, that Bree could hear her almost clearly? “Bella will open her eyes in thirty five seconds. She can probably hear us right now.”

Silence followed, and then the girl’s voice rang out once more. “Three minutes!”

Jasper released her head, and Bree could have cried from relief.

“You better open your eyes now,” He said. Bree did so, her eyes quickly darting around the clearing. It was filled with dark, heavy smoke. Jasper stood in front of her, teeth gritted and eyes frightened. Behind him stood four more vampires, all of them staring at her. One was Esme. The other, a blonde woman more beautiful than anyone Bree had ever seen before. A vampire so big he was terrifying just to look at stood next to her, arm wrapped around her waist. He made the already small Asian next to him seem even smaller. She came forward and took Jasper’s hand in her’s. It made him relax, just a bit. She offered Bree the smallest of smiles. Bree struggled to return it.

A few feet away from them were three more vampires. Carlisle, a redheaded boy, and a pale girl, lying flat on her back. Carlisle and the redhead knelt over her, muttering to each other. Bree wondered if they were putting her back together. Must have been the Bella one of the vampires had mentioned. Then, the vampire on the floor started to get up. She moved clumsily, as though she were a human. A gust of wind blew through the clearing, and then it all clicked into place. She _was_ a human, more specifically, _the_ human. Her scent, more delicious than anything Bree had ever tracked before, was the one Riley had given them. Bree launched herself forward, only to be tackled onto the ground.

“Stop! Stop it!” Jasper ordered from on top of her, using one hand to pin both of hers above her head. He pressed his other arm against her neck. Her throat was on fire as she desperately tried to catch onto any self control she had left from her human days. It worked, just enough to stop her body from spasming on the ground. He didn’t move from his position, not that she wanted him to. If this coven cared for this human, for whatever reason, then the last thing Bree wanted was to harm her.

Bree looked at the human - a mistake, because the blood flushing her skin just became all the more tempting. But she couldn’t bring herself to look away. She looked at Bree with wide eyes, stunned.

“She’s a newborn who surrendered. Only my parents could offer something like that,” He murmured. “Clearly, Jasper isn’t too happy about it.”

Carlisle must have explained while her ears were covered. The redhead had the human named Bella in his arms, and her head was in his chest. His mouth was so close to her neck, and yet he didn’t look hungry, nor did she look frightened. A coven with a pet human? It was Bree’s only guess. If she were a vampire, she would have assumed that they were together.

“Is Jasper okay? He seems . . . pained,” Bella inquired. Her voice was merely a whisper.

“He’s fine, he just got bitten a few times. The venom stings,” The redhead explained.

“Bitten?” Bella asked, shocked. Who was she? She was clearly apart of their world, but she knew so little. Of course Jasper had been bitten. He had just fought. An entire coven no less!

The burning in Bree’s throat was becoming impossible to bear. She felt as though she were holding onto threads that kept her hunger at bay, and each time the wind blew Bella’s scent into her face, another thread snapped.

“He was trying to be everywhere at once,” The redhead said. “Really, he was just trying to make sure Alice had nothing to do.” He nodded his head towards the short brunette.

“Overprotective dumbass,” Alice said, glaring at Jasper. Foolishly, he looked away from Bree to meet her glare with a half smile. It was as if he forgot his position.

Bree could barely manage to fight the instinct to throw him off of her and open Bella’s neck. _It would only take a moment_. She thought wildly. _A moment for the sweetest blood I’d ever taste_.

Bree gritted her teeth in frustration as a spasm went through her body. Jasper seemed to remember the situation at hand, because suddenly he was glaring at her and pressing down just a bit harder.

“Surprisingly, she’s fighting extremely hard to hold back,” The redhead said. Bella stared, though it wasn’t what it should be. She didn’t look terrified. She looked curious.

Carlisle walked over and knelt beside them. He looked at Bree with calm eyes.

“How can you stand this? She’s so close,” Bree was begging; for an answer or permission, it didn’t matter which.

“You must stand it,” Carlisle said.

“How? We’re monsters! We’re meant to kill them!” If possible, Bree would have been crying once more. She had never felt so frustrated, so desperate before. She wanted Jasper to let go of her, so she could reach the human Bella.

 _Just get up! Get up!_ She thought frantically. Panic and excitement flooded her system as she felt Jasper begin to shift, letting go slightly. He was slowly letting go. His eyes looked foggy, his face frowning yet clearly dazed. _No! What the hell are you doing?_ The smallest sliver of what was left of her reason screamed within her. Suddenly, Jasper was pushing down once more. Bree looked towards the redhead and Bella. He had shifted, so she stood more behind him, but his stare remained on Bree. It was perplexed.

“We aren’t monsters, and we don’t have to kill. There’s another way,” Carlisle said, taking Bree’s attention. His ominous words stilled Bree, distracted her mind from her thirst. Another way? She looked at his yellow eyes, and thought of her own red ones. This coven was so different from her. Could she ever really be like them. They could all control themselves around this human with no problem. Bree wondered what that would be like. To not be driven by thirst. To not have to kill.

The wind hit her face, pushing Bella’s scent, and she was dropped back into her manic thirst. It left her scrambling for some sort rock. In her desperation, she thought of Diego, of his beautiful face and his barking laugh and his deep, rolling voice. She thought of his cries, his screams of agony, his demise. She whispered her name, reverently, as though it were a prayer. Her body stilled, but she dared not to take her eyes off of Carlisle. She searched his face for some sort of clue, but found none. She narrowed her eyes. Fine, if she had to do to do this through sheer force of will, she would. She didn’t want to die, but she sure as hell didn’t want to live as she had for these past few months. If they offered another way, any other way, she would gladly take it.

“They’re coming,” Alice said suddenly. Carlisle got up, as did Jasper. Jasper moved more slowly, however. His body was tense. He was just waiting for Bree to attack. She didn’t. Instead, she slowly got up. Carlisle offered his hand, which she took with a grip of iron. She needed something to steady her, something other than Diego’s death. She followed him as he walked to Esme. He took her hand in his free one. Jasper followed, his eyes never leaving Bree. The other couple who had remained nameless to her held each other tightly, and kept glancing at each other with nervous eyes. She noticed that they all surrounded the redhead, Alice, and Bella. They must have been the ones the yellow eyes wanted to protect the most. It made no difference to Bree, only that she was grateful that she no longer had the wind forcing the human’s scent upon her. She figured she would need all the control and reasoning she had. She heard movement from the north, and the panic began. Whatever had the yellow eyes so frightened must have been terrifying. Was it the Volturi? She had no idea what that was, but it seemed to have even Jasper on edge. Bree thought about running, for just a moment. But to where? Fred? She wondered if he were still waiting. She hoped against hope that when this was all over, she could find him, and explain all that she found out. Even if he didn’t want to stay with her, she could at least warn him. He knew nothing of the world he was about to enter. And she was sure that that logic driven boy would have been very interested in the other way Carlisle had talked so mysteriously of. But then, the moment passed, and it became much too late to run.

“Hmmm,” said a voice, dead and emotionless, from behind the wall of the fire. Instantly, Bree knew exactly who it was. If she hadn't been frozen with mindless terror, she would have bolted. It was the dark-cloaks.


	2. Bree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day ?!?! This will probably never happen again please don't expect much from me. 
> 
> Follow me on my tumblr Breetannerprotectionsquad if you want !! I post headcannons, possibly one shots, and basically anything else I feel adds to my version of the twilight universe !!

Bree was terrified of a new battle beginning. As kind as the yellow eyes were, Bree knew she would be useless to them. She was no fighter. But she knew the dark cloaks had wanted her creator to succeed in killing the yellow eyes. Her creator had failed. Did they come to kill her as punishment? Or were they here to finish her job? Bree knew who she wanted dead, and it certainly wasn’t the coven holding her hostage.

As though they were apparitions, the dark cloaks came floating through the smoke. Only four of them, like the last time Bree had seen them. She recognized all of them. The two young ones, the bohemeath of a vampire, and the other man. There were seven yellow eyes, outnumbering the dark cloaks by three. But that didn’t matter. The nerves of the yellow eyes were palpable. There was something more to these dark cloaks than what was visible. Bree could feel it, though, without question. They were punishers. Executioners.

“Hello Jane,” The redhead said. He didn’t sounded fearful or eager to please, like her creator and Riley had been. Just unsurprised and unfriendly. Was this the Volturi? The small vampire who led the dark cloaks, the young blonde one, stepped forward and scanned the group of yellow eyes before stopping at Bree.

“I don’t understand,” She said, her voice just as dull as ever.

“She has surrendered,” The redhead explained.

“Surrendered?” Jane’s voice, though still dull, had an edge to it. Her face never changed, however. The dark cloaks exchanged glances. The young boyish looking one stared at her strangely. It made Bree’s skin crawl.

“My father gave the option,” The redhead said. He acted as spokesperson, but Bree got the impression Carlisle was the true leader of the coven. There must have been a good reason for Carlisle not being the one to speak. Bree thought of what Riley said, about there being a mind reader within the yellow eyes. Maybe he hadn’t been lying about that.

“There are no options for those who break the rules,” Jane’s voice was dead again. Bree felt as though someone doused her with a bucket of ice water. Suddenly, everything seemed so inevitable.

“I saw no need to attack her, as she never even fought,” Carlisle said. Bree got the sense that he was pleading her case, but she knew it wasn’t up to him.

“That is irrelevant,” Jane said. A confirmation, more than anything else. She looked at Bree the way one would look at an ant. She turned to look at Carlisle. “Aro had wished we’d travel far west enough to see you. He sends his regards.”

“I would appreciate it if you would convey mine to him,” Carlisle said. Jane smiled a smile that somehow wasn’t one at all. It looked like a grimace, like it pained her somehow.

“Of course.” Then she looked back at Bree, the edges of the not smile still there.

“It appears you’ve done our work for us today . . . for the most part, that is. Just out of professional curiosity, how many were there?” She spoke of professions. Jobs. Bree had been right. She was a punisher. An executioner. That was her job. If there were executioners, then there had to be rules. Carlisle had mentioned some before. “We follow their rules”. Riley and their creator had been afraid, not surprised, when the dark cloaks arrived. They knew about the rules, knew they were breaking them. Why hadn’t they said anything? There was more than these just four dark cloaks. They mentioned an Aro, and there was probably even more after that. There had to be, for everyone to be so fear stricken by them.

“Eighteen, including this one,” Carlisle said. An audible murmur followed.

“Eighteen?” Jane echoed. Her creator had never told Jane how many of them there were, but was she really surprised?

“All of them were brand new,” Carlisle said. “Totally unskilled.”

Unskilled? Brand new? Was this how the older vampires viewed them? Jasper had called them newborns, as though they were babies.

“All of them?” Jane’s voice had become snappish again. “Then who was their creator?” Jane was a liar, possibly an even bigger one than Riley. She was just so much better at it than he was. “

Victoria,” The redhead said. Bree was becoming more and more convinced that he truly was a mind reader.

“Her name was Victoria.”

“Was?” Jane asked. The redhead jerked his head to the direction of the mountain. Thick smoke, similar to the one around them, billowed up from the side. _Was_. Bree felt a sick satisfaction she wasn’t entirely too proud of.

“Was this Victoria in addition to the eighteen we see here?” Jane asked slowly.

“Yes,” The redhead confirmed. “She only had one with her. He wasn’t as young as this one here, but couldn’t have been older than a year.”

Riley. Bree’s sick satisfaction only intensified. At the very least, if she died here today, that loose thread had been taken care of. Diego had been avenged.

“Twenty,” Jane breathed. Either this was much more than she expected, or she was hoping for an Oscar win. “Who dealt with the creator?”

“I did,” The redhead said coldly. Even if this coven had treated her terribly, had shown her no kindness what’s-so-ever, the redhead had her loyalty now. He had avenged Diego, whether he meant to or not. “

You there,” Jane said, turning to Bree. “Your name.”

Bree remained silent. She was dead anyway, so what could possibly be the point of giving this lying vampire any more information? So she just stared blankly at her. Jane smiled back, innocently, and suddenly Bree was on fire. She fell to her knees, the pain immediately becoming too much. Her skin, her bones, her blood burned. She was sure she was screaming, but she couldn’t feel or hear it through the agony. It was as though they tossed her into the bonfire her coven burned in, and even then, Bree couldn’t imagine that feeling quite like this. She needed it to stop. It had to stop. _Stop! Stop! STOP!_ Her mind screamed. Miraculously, it did.

Bree took a moment to recollect herself before looking up. Jane’s smile had faded. Her milky eyes were clouded over. She looked dazed, as if she were in a spell. A confused frown slowly formed, and then it was swiftly replaced with a glare that she directed at the yellow eyes.

“How did you do that?” She hissed. Her face was contorted with anger. This was the most emotion Bree had seen from her. It was different from her dead smiles. This was real. To the yellow eyes credit, they all seemed just as confused as Bree felt.

“None of us did it. You know our capabilities,” The redhead said. They all looked at him questiongly, as if waiting for him to give an explanation.

“Well someone must have!” The dark cloaks watched her with caution and confusion. Were they afraid of her as well? Suddenly, she turned to Bree.

“You did it! How?” She demanded, stepping forward. Bree lent back, wanting to keep her distance.

“Did what? What are you talking about?” She asked, frowning. She remained half lying on the ground, afraid of what would happen if she attempted to get up.

“Someone _made_ me stop! It wasn’t them, and it most certainly was none of the guard. That leaves only you. So, how was it done?”

“Do you have a talent, little one?” One of the dark cloaks asked, stepping forward. He was the hulk like one, just as big as the largest of the yellow eyes. The young boyish one’s strange stare only grew stranger.

“A talent?” Bree asked. She thought of Fred and his ability to repel others. Was that what they considered a talent? The redhead was looking at her curiously. Was his mind reading a talent to the Volturi as well? “I . . . don’t know? I don’t think so.”

“Well, clearly you have some sort of ability. Jane has impeccable control. She only stops when she wants to. Until now, that is,” The hulking vampire said. Bree tried her hardest to think back to when anything like this had happened before. Suddenly, her first hunt with Diego came to mind. She had been starving, hadn’t eaten in nearly two weeks. She felt like she was going to go insane with thirst. Diego had found his first kill. She had no right to it, but she wanted it so desperately. She thought she might do anything for it. In the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but think _Give it to me_. Then, miraculously, he did. She thought he was just being sweet, but now she wondered if he felt compelled to, just like Jane had just felt compelled to stop hurting her. She thought of Jasper, and how he loosened his grip when her mind begged him to. Was she compelling him too?

“Well?” Jane demanded. Bree was too stunned to answer, which didn’t seem to please Jane too much.

“I believe she may have to ability to control the minds of others,” The redhead said. The dark cloaks began to murmur amongst themselves once more, all of them eyeing her with a new found interest. The yellow eyes exchanged nervous looks, like they knew what was about to happen.

“We must take her to Aro,” one of the dark cloaks said suddenly. Bree stared at them, keeping her expression blank as to hide her alarm. Aro must have been their boss. Their leader. Maybe even their creator. The sheriff to these vampire police. She definitely did not want to meet him. She looked at the redhead, trying to push her concern at him. Hopefully he was in fact the mindreader. He looked at the rest of his coven, shaking his head slightly.

“You can’t!” Emse said. The dark cloaks looked at her the way a toddler might when you threatened to take their new toy.

“And why is that?” Jane asked. She spoke slowly, menacingly.

“We wish to have her become a part of our family,” Carlisle said, stepping in front of Esme a bit. Bree doubted that it would serve as much protection against Jane, but the sentiment was endearing enough. Jane looked at him incredulously.

“I’m not sure you appreciate the position this newborn is in right now. She broke the rules. She should be dead. Instead, we’re offering her a chance to live. With the Volturi, no less,” Jane said. “That is, if Aro approves of her induction.” Bree looked at the dark cloaks in front of her, all milky eyed and stoic. None of them looked as though they did anything more than exist, like statues in a museum. The yellow eyes, despite their vampirism, looked as though they lived. They all loved each other dearly, that much was clear. Out of the two covens, Bree knew her choice. Now, if only she had one.

“Her gift is still weak,” The redhead said. “She is young, and erratic. She is completely unaware the the rules. Until you arrived, she had no clue as to the Volturi’s existence.” The redhead paused as Bree pushed images of the dark cloaks talking to Victoria, of their lack of action against them.

“Aro doesn’t tend to accept members with this lack of skill or knowledge,” Carlisle said, picking up where the redhead left off.

“But I’m sure he would make an acception for someone with her potential,” Jane argued.

“So let us unlock that potential. Let us teach her the ways of our world. Let us be the ones to hone her skill. And when we feel we’ve taught her to the best of our abilities - and if Aro decides he wants her in your coven - you may come collect her,” Carlisle continued. Bree nearly gagged at that thought.

“Like how you promised to let us collect them?” Jane asked, nodding her head at the redhead and Alice. Bree would have frowned if she weren’t focusing on keeping her face impassive. She looked at Jane, and thought of what she did to her. Clearly this girl could inflict pain on others, probably through some telepathic means. The redhead was clearly a mindreader. Bree could only assume that Alice had some special power of her own. Is this what the Volturi did? What this mysterious Aro did? Collected those with abilities he liked? Did he make them all into weapons, like he clearly had done with this Jane girl? She looked so young, younger than Bree. She was undoubtedly old, possibly older than most of the yellow eyes. Bree wondered how long she had been with Aro. She wondered if he always had her. That certainly would explain a lot. Terror filled Bree at the thought of becoming like Jane. She thought of Fred, and his repelling. She hoped he never ran into these people, or that if he did, his ability would be strong enough for them not to overpower him. Bree had no doubt in her mind that with his self control, intelligence, and power, that he would be coveted by this Aro character.

“They didn’t wish to join the Volturi, and they had broken no rules. This is different. If she does not wish to go with you, you can simply punish her for her crimes then,” Carlisle offered. Bree looked at him with shock, and was comforted to see that certain members of his coven - Bella, Esme and the nameless couple - were as well. This was an out of character decision for him. He must have had something up his sleeve. Jane looked at him warily, the large one beside her with outright suspicion. After a moment, she relented.

“Fine. I will discuss your offer to train the newborn with Aro. If he decides that he wants her right away - or wants her dead - we will be back immediately,” Jane said. It wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.

“But of course. We wouldn’t dream of disobeying,” Carlisle said. Bree got the feeling that he was making fun of them, in some way.

“Speaking of disobeying, it is interesting to see that your human is still . . . well, a human,” Jane said, staring at Bella. She gave her the same smile she gave Bree right before the pain started, but somehow, she had no reaction.

“Would you please not do that?” Asked the redhead, his voice tight. Jane’s smile didn’t fade.

“Just checking,” She said airily. Bree studied the human, more interested in whatever just happened than her blood. She had some sort of ability, and it rendered Jane’s useless. Despite Jane’s casual attitude about it, it was clear to see that it drove her crazy. Is that why they kept her?

“But that matter still stands. I’m sure Caius will be very interested to hear about this. Maybe he’ll even pay a visit.” Caius seemed to be important to the Volturi as well. Possibly another leader, like Aro.

“That won’t be necessary,” Said Alice. “The date is set. Perhaps we’ll pay you a visit, in a few months time.” Finally, Jane’s smile disappeared. She shrugged, looking away from Alice. If Jane hated Bella, as she so clearly did, she hated Alice nearly ten times more.

So they were turning Bella? Suddenly, everything made more sense. She wasn’t a pet, she really was with the redhead. They just hadn’t turned her yet. The redhead quickly shot Bree a look that clearly said “took you long enough”. She almost grinned.

“Well, it was a pleasure to meet you Carlisle. I’d thought Aro was exaggerating. Well, until we meet again,” Jane said. She gave the yellow eyes, and Bree, one final look. Bree knew what she wanted to say. ‘Expect to see me soon’. Though Bree preferred to imagine her wearing sunglasses and saying ‘I’ll be back’ in the terminator voice. The redhead snorted, causing Jane to give him a strange look.

“Come,” She ordered. And with that, the dark cloaks were floating away to the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading !! Please leave a comment and have a wonderful day !!


	3. Bree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to follow my tumblr Breetannerprotectionsquad !! I post headcanons, possibly oneshots, and anything else I feel will add to my version of the twilight universe !!

No one moved for hours, minutes, seconds. Bree wasn’t sure. Her mind was reeling. She was alive. Diego was dead. She was alive. But her life wasn’t her’s anymore. But really, had it ever been? She was her dad’s punching bag, then Victoria’s soldier. This coven, the Volturi, was just someone new to control her. She thought of Jane and the dark cloaks, their milky eyes, their statue like complacency. Despite her herself, she began to shake. Funny, how vampires still shook. Did Carlisle really have something up his sleeve, or was he betraying his own morals in a latch ditch attempt to save his coven? Should Bree be running? Was there even a point? The yellow eyes wouldn’t let her go, would they, now that they made that promise? She couldn’t stop the itch beneath her skin, though, that told her _Run, run you idiot. Run before they take everything away._

“You don’t have to run. We aren’t giving you to them,” The redhead said, finally breaking the silence. She stared at the ground, unable to stop the numbness that was setting in. How could she believe them?

“Even if we wanted to give you away - which we don’t - we would never, ever, give you to the Volturi. Not with your ability,” Carlisle said, kneeling before her. Oh. So they wanted to keep her for her power.

“No, we don’t want you for your power,” The redhead said.

“Good, because I don’t know how to use it,” Bree joked weakly. She wrapped her arms around herself. Carlisle smiled softly.

“We aren’t a coven that inducts its members based on power or skill. We are a family, Bree. Emse and I - these are our kids. We don’t offer you a home with us lightly,” Carlisle said.

“You all talk like we’re still human,” Bree said. “Kids? Family? Home? That doesn’t exist for us anymore.”

“Allow us to prove you wrong,” Esme said, walking up. She crouched down beside them. Bree continued to stare at the ground. 

"You expect us to go head to head with the Volturi?” One of the vampires snapped. Bree turned her head. It was the beautiful one. She had a deep set frown. “We won’t survive.”

“We will come up with a plan, Rosalie. Alice won’t allow us to pick one that fails,” Carlisle said. Rosalie didn’t say anything, but her frown remained.

“Even if we were all completely against this, your father has made a promise to the Volturi. There is no going back now. We have a new member,” Esme said.

“Two actually,” Alice said. Everyone’s heads whipped towards her

“Two?” Carlisle asked. Alice didn’t respond, her face dazed, eyes lost. She may have been there, but she wasn’t with them.

“There’s another newborn. He’s waiting by the border for Bree,” The redhead said. Fuck. Why did they have to bring Fred into this?

“Bree?” The big one asked. The redhead nodded towards Bree. She shrunk under the stare of the yellow eyes and their human.

“Is this true?” Carlisle asked. Bree hesitated before answering.

“Fred didn’t want to fight. He never did. He was always more like you guys than anyone in that coven; even me. When it came time for us to fight you all, he decided he was going to run instead. Flee to Canada. He asked me to go with him, but I couldn’t leave without -” Bree stopped. Her tongue felt heavy under the weight of his name. “Diego. I couldn’t leave without Diego. So he told me that he would wait for a day, and that if I wasn’t back in time he would leave, whether I had Diego or not.”

“Where’s Diego?” Esme asked. Bree stared at a tree in the distance, clenching her hands. She accidentally pulled up grass. She let go, allowing the pieces to fall out of her grasp and flutter slowly into the wind.

“Victoria got to him,” The redhead said. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bella’s face fall.

“And Fred? Is he still waiting?” Esme pressed. Bree shrugged.

“He said he would wait a day,” She reminded.

“Then we have to go find him.” Esme said.

Bree turned to face her, eyes narrowed. “No,” She hissed. Everyone tensed. Jasper stepped forward, lip curled back to reveal his sharp teeth. Bree took a moment to calm herself.

“If the Volturi find out about him, they’ll want him too. I won’t let him become their weapon, or collectable, or whatever they want him for. Or worse yet - what if they don’t want him? They’ll just kill him then,” Bree said. She could hardly stomach the idea.

“Bree, we cannot allow a completely uneducated newborn to roam around. He could risk exposing us, or unwittingly break even more severe laws. None of you were taught about our world. It’s dangerous, especially for one clueless to it,” Carlisle said gently.

“He’s smart! He can figure it out - and his power will keep him safe,” Bree insisted.

“Power?” Carlisle asked.

“He can repel others. He can make someone feel disgusted at the mere thought of being around him,” Bree said. They all different reactions, varying from confused to uncomfortable to intrigued.

“It’ll keep him safe,” Bree repeated, quieter this time.

“Yeah, until someone reports him to the Volturi,” Jasper said. Bree turned to look at him, eyes wide.

“Why would anyone do that?” She asked.

“The Volturi are comparable to royalty for us. We all abide by their laws. A newborn vampire with some powerful ability roaming around Canada all by himself? That’ll draw him enough attention, even if he doesn’t fuck up and accidentally break a rule,” Jasper shrugged.

“If he comes here, he’ll be at even more of a risk! The Volturi is paying a lot of attention to you guys now,” Bree said.

“They already were,” The redhead said. Bree glanced at Bella. Right. They probably had been under the Volturi’s watch for a while.

“If Fred comes with us, at the very least, he won’t be alone,” Esme said softly. Bree hesitated. The thought of Fred alone and lost, wandering around Canada without a home or a friend to call his own, disturbed her. He wouldn’t reach out to someone, wouldn’t dare befriend another vampire if he happened to cross paths with one. He would use his ability to make sure they wouldn’t even come near. The rest of his days in total solitude. Despite insisting otherwise, he got lonely. It was obvious the way he so easily accepted Bree and Diego’s friendship when it was forced upon him. He pretended he wasn’t interested, but put up no real fight.

“Fine,” She said finally. “I’ll take you to him - if he’s still there. But we can’t force him to come with us. He has to choose to.”

Esme smiled. “We wouldn’t dream of forcing it upon him.”

“Great, so instead of just one newborn with a powerful ability, we’ll have two?” Rosalie asked.

“Rosie -” Her mate started.

“No, don’t Rosie me! So, what? Exposing ourselves to a human wasn’t enough? Getting ourselves into a battle over her wasn’t enough? No, we’re going to draw even more attention to ourselves by taking on two newborns, one of which is already promised to the Volturi? By the sounds of it, it’s only a matter of time before that Fred guy is on their fucking wishlist too! And you decide that the cherry to put on top of this shit sundae is that we’re going to fight the Volturi over this newborn we just met?” Rosalie was seething as she ranted. Her blonde eyebrows knitted together, her golden eyes blown wide. Her plump lips were pouting, and her hair was falling into her face in all the ways it would if this were a scene from a movie. Even her anger was beautiful. Esme and Carlisle frowned at her. The redhead had a flat out glare.

“This wasn’t Bella’s fault,” He said.

“Like hell it wasn’t Edward!” She snapped. Edward’s glare intensified.

“We can’t just allow the Volturi to force someone into their coven. Especially a child. You saw what they’ve done with Jane and Alec! Even Marcus! He was the same age as you all when Aro took him! He’s never given any of them a choice in the matter. It isn’t right,” Esme said.

“The Volturi is too powerful to even think of fighting against!” Rosalie said.

“Which is why we can’t allow them to have someone like Bree,” Carlisle said. His tone was final. There was no room for argument. Rosalie’s glare intensified. She turned on her heel before running off at full speed.

“Rosalie!” Her mate screamed. He groaned before running after her.

“Emmett!” Esme called, but it was too late. Both of them were gone. The silence that followed was thick, awkward.

“I’m sorry,” Bree said, her voice low. Her presence was beginning to tear this family apart and it had only been fifteen minutes since they decided to take her on.

“Don’t be. Rosalie’s reaction would have been unavoidable,” Alice said.

“Trust her. She knows these things,” Edward said. Bree nodded. She trusted these yellow eyes, inexplicably so.

“We don’t have much time to waste,” Carlisle said. “Fred is only waiting for a day, yes?”

Bree nodded. “That’s what he said.”

“Then you, Jasper, and Esme will go to him. Alice will take Bella home. Edward and I have to go tend to - a medical emergency,” Carlisle said. He had cut himself off. Clearly there were still many secrets, some of which Bree could not know about. And that was fine, really. Bree hoped that after a while, she could earn their trust. Maybe even a place in their family, not just their coven. It seemed like too much to ask for, but still. Bree couldn’t shake the want, which was ridiculous. She had only just met them.

“Wait! I want to go with you and Carlisle,” Bella said. Alice shook her head.

“I need to take you home. You need to be with your father,” She said.

“But Jake needs me!” Bella insisted. “Edward -”

“Bella, I know you want to be with Jake right now, and you will be later. But you need to be with your father first. I’m sure he’ll take you over tonight. Carlisle and I will be their, monitoring him. Don’t worry,” He said. Bella huffed.

“Fine,” She relented after a minute. She still didn’t look particularly happy about it.

“Let’s go. We don’t have much time,” Carlisle said.

“Don’t worry. He’ll still be there,” Alice said.

“He said that he’d leave after a day,” Bree said, frowning.

“In every outcome I looked at, he won’t leave before three,” Alice insisted. She pressed a short kiss upon Jasper’s lips before turning on her heel and running off. Carlisle gave Esme a kiss that was just as short and as sweet, whispering something under his breath to her. She grinned a smile so infectious even Bree could feel the beginnings of her own. Carlisle turned and ran out the clearing.

“Good luck on getting him to come,” Bella said as she got on Edward’s back. They took off in the same direction as the others, Edward carrying her.

“Why would he wait three days?” Bree asked, looking at Esme.

“He must really care about you,” Esme said kindly.

“Hopefully he cares about you enough to join us. Otherwise we’re going to have an even bigger problem on our hands,” Jasper said. Bree looked at him questiongly. “If he doesn’t join us, we’re obligated to report it to the Volturi. Especially if we don’t want them to become suspicious of us,” Jasper said.

Bree shook her head vigorously. “That can’t happen,” She said.

“It won’t. I’m sure he will come with us,” Esme said confidently. Bree nodded, trying desperately to convince herself of that. “Now, we really should get going. Lead the way Bree.”

And with that, they were running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rosalie is, as always, the voice of reason.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading !! Please leave a comment and have a wonderful day !!


	4. Fred

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my tumblr Breetannerprotectionsquad !! I post headcanons, oneshots, and anything else I feel will add to my version of the twilight universe !!

Fred sat on a large rock, reading a book that he stole out of a small shop in Seattle. That was after a pair of sunglasses, of course. Fred felt guilty for it, but he needed something to pass the time. Plus, he figured he would have to get used to stealing. It wasn’t like he could work a job as a vampire.

It was probably well past midnight by now. Fred had told Bree he wouldn’t wait past the day. He lied, clearly. He prayed that Bree and Diego were just running late. Maybe the coven had won and were having huge celebrations, and they just lost track of time. Maybe they finally admitted their feelings to one another and were having a romantic night under the stars. Maybe they just decided they didn’t want to have to deal with Fred and his uncontrollable repelling anymore. It wasn’t easy being around him, he knew that. Bree and Diego just always made it seem so effortless. Had he been wrong about them? Were they tired of it? Well, it didn’t matter. Fred still prayed that they were alright. He wasn’t sure the Lord listened to him anymore, but still. He prayed.

He wasn’t even reading at this point. Just staring at the page. He couldn’t concentrate on anything other than the smells around him. It smelled like pine and grass. Nothing like his friends. He closed his book, trying to think of something else. On a whim, he began to recite the periodic table to himself. When he was human, he would do the same when his anxiety began to get the best of him. This was definitely one of those moments. He managed to get through it four times before he caught the faintest whiff of it. Bree. He stood up on his rock, searching around in the night.

“Bree?” He asked aloud. There was no response, but the scent grew stronger. He grinned, readjusting his circular, wire rim glasses, before hopping off the rock formation that took up most of the small clearing. He was about to run in the direction the scent was wafting from, but stopped himself suddenly. He stumbled forward, grin fading. Two more scents, both entirely unfamiliar, followed hers. And where was Diego’s? From the way things smelled, he was nowhere to be found.

As the strange scents grew stronger, Fred debated running. Whoever they were, they were enemies. Everyone was an enemy in this world. That was made clear. He considered the fact that Bree was with them, before dismissing it. Bree would never leave Diego. Maybe they had her jacket. But then, how would they get it? Fred froze at the thought, feeling suddenly like he was suffocating. He stumbled backwards onto the rock formation as the strangers got closer. He didn’t run, his desperate hope that maybe it was Bree after all keeping him there. It was better than the alternative.

He heard the leaves of the hedge like bushes rustling as someone pushed through it. To his relief, Bree burst through after a moment. She stopped suddenly, looking up at Fred. He was still standing up on the large rock, and behind him, the sun was beginning to rise. They stared at each other, before a grin broke out on her young, pretty face.

“Fred!” She shrieked before launching herself at him. He caught her in a bear hug, twirling her around. She was so small, like a rag doll. How did she survive the battle? He buried his nose in her hair, breathing her in. The first friend he ever had, in both lives, had returned for him. It was heartwarming enough that he didn’t immediately notice the other two vampires enter the small clearing.

Fred set Bree down. He checked her up and down, making sure she was fine. She had all her limbs, which was a good sign. That’s when he saw the yellow eyes watching them. He immediately pushed Bree behind him, hissing. He focused on enhancing his repelling, and both took several steps backwards. The young man had a vicious look on his face, while the woman looked worried. The disgust was evident though.

“Fred! Stop! Stop it!” Bree begged, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him around to face her. She looked tense. Standing this close to him while he was like this was a struggle. He reeled it in, and the relief she felt was evident in the way her body relaxed.

“What’s going on?” He asked lowly, glancing at the yellow eyes standing at the edge of the clearing. An older woman - probably turned in her late thirties - and a guy who looked to be around the same age as him. He stood in front of the woman, coiled and protective. She looked concerned, the same way a mother might for a lost child. Bree followed his stare.

“There’s a lot you don’t know, Fred. That Riley never told us. He lied about everything,” She said, looking back up at him. Her doe eyes were wide, giving her this innocent look. It made it almost possible to ignore how dangerously red they were.

Fred scoffed. “I could have told you that.”

Bree nodded. “I know. You’re so smart. But as smart as you are, you’ll die out there. We both would have if I had just left with you. It’s so much more dangerous than we thought.”

That reminded Fred. The reason why she didn’t just leave with him right away.

“Where’s Diego?” He asked slowly. Bree looked at the ground, her tan fists clenching by her sides. “Bree?”

She looked up at him, her face passive. Her eyes, however, held all the devastation in the entire world. “He’s dead,” She said, her voice no more than the weakest of whispers. A human would have never been able to hear it. Fred felt as though he had been punched in the gut. He shook his head. Bree nodded. “He is,” She insisted.

Fred took a step back. He wanted to scream, or punch something till it shattered, or rip himself apart. Instead, he kept his mouth tightly shut, stepped forward once more, and pulled Bree into a bone crushing hug. She returned it, her grip just as strong. They stood like that for a moment, their shared grief so intense that neither could pay the two yellow eyes watching any mind. Then, he gently pushed Bree back. His hands remained on her shoulders.

“I need you to explain everything to me. What’s happened? What’s with the yellow eyes?” He asked, jerking his head towards the vampires in question. Bree quickly launched into her story, of the yellow eyes sparing her, the Volturi and their laws, and the Jane girl and her pain inducing power. When Bree spoke of her own ability, she did so with a frown and disbelieving eyes, as though she herself was unsure of its validity. She explained how the Volturi wanted her, and how the Cullens made a deal with them.

“So don’t you see? You have to come with us,” She said. Fred took a step back as he stared at her incredulously.

“Are you insane?” Fred asked. “We should be running!”

Bree shook her head. “We can’t. If we leave, the Cullens will die. If we leave, we immediately forfeit any chance we have. Any vampire we come across will report us to the Volturi, and they’ll only have all of eternity to find us.”

“So you’re supposed to just give yourself up? And I’m supposed to just watch?” Fred asked, frowning.

“No, not watch. The Cullens will inform the Volturi of you and your power, and offer you up as well,” Bree said, glancing to the side as she spoke.

Fred blinked slowly. It was taking him a minute to process what she had said. “What?” He asked after a moment had passed.

“It’s your only chance!” Bree insisted. “If the Volturi finds you in any other way they’ll kill you!”

“They won’t be able to get close to me,” said Fred.

“But for how long can you keep that up? How long can you run around the world? Eventually, there’ll be nowhere else to hide.”

“I’m pretty resourceful,” Fred said.

“But you’ll be alone, Fred.” She had that devastated look again, as if the mere thought of Fred being lonely was something that could break her heart. “Even if the Cullens don’t help us, even if we go to the Volturi, we can be together. You’re my best friend. You’re the only friend I’ve ever had besides Diego. Anywhere I go, I want you beside me. But if you want to run, I can’t follow. The Cullens laid their lives on the line for me. If I go they’ll die. And they’re a family. An honest to God family. They call Esme and Carlisle mom and dad. I can’t go and ruin that by letting them die for me.”

Everyone had always stayed away from Fred, even in his human life. He couldn’t blame them. While a human, he had an off putting disposition. He was quiet, a thinker. Logic and science came before everything. His social anxiety didn’t help much either. It only forced him to further push people away. As a vampire, it only became worse. He didn’t have a handle on his power. Though he could tone it down, he was always emitting low levels of it. It made everyone wary of him. Bree was the first person to fight through that. She was the first person to get close to him. She was his first friend, in both lives. His best friend. She dragged Diego along, bringing the second best thing to ever happen to him into his life. She was the first. He wanted to tell her all of this, articulate how much she meant to him. She deserved to know. Instead, he sighed wearily and said “I’ll go with you.”

Fred managed to ward off his own smile at the sight of Bree's infectious grin. She pulled him into a quick hug, whispering 'thank you' under her breath. As she pulled away. she grabbed his hand, holding it tightly in hers. Even if he wanted to try and get out of it, he doubted he’d be able to. She turned to the yellow eyes, her grin never fading.

“So what now?” She asked. Fred knew that if he could blush he would have. He had forgotten completely about their presence. Knowing they witnessed such a moment between him and Bree was humiliating.

The woman - Esme - smiled kindly. “We’re going to take you both home.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading !! Please leave a comment and have a wonderful day !!


End file.
